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Strider (NES)/Development
Strider started life as part of a three-pronged collaboration between Capcom and artist circle Moto Kikaku, consisting of this game, the Strider Hiryu manga, and the original Arcade game, all sharing the same name.Tane, Kiyofume (February 2009). "The Father of Strider Who Made the Game World Explode: Kouichi Yotsui Discography". Gameside (16). Translated by Gaijin Punch for Gamengai. Retrieved from Archive.org. Accessed November 7, 2016. The idea of working on a project with a company outside the world of gaming came from Akio Sakai, who back then recently joined Capcom as new head of developmentScion; Dire 51 (24 April 2010). "Interview with Kouichi "Isuke" Yotsui". LSCM 4.0. Translated by Gaijin Punch. Accessed 24 Oct 2010.Jones, Darran (24 Apr 2010). "The Making of... Strider". Retro Gamer (76). pp. 48-53. . Sakai was able to secure the deal with Moto Kikaku, seeing it as a test to running a seralized manga and game at the same time. While the manga and Arcade game were handled by Tatsumi Wada and Kouchi Yotsui repectively, the NES "consumer version" was given to Masahiko Kurokawa, who previously worked on the NES conversion of Commando and the NES original Higemaru Makaijima. Development History Initial meetings between the three heads of the project were carried on at the Shinjuku Hilton hotel, arranged by Capcom's president Kenzo Tsujimoto so they could iron out details of the setting and world view. After deciding on the common elements of the setting, Yotsui and Kurokawa returned to Osaka and worked together to flesh out the basic outline agreed upon in Shinjuku. As both men followed career in film, they took advantage of this and together developed a detailed background setting for the projectRobson, Daniel (October 2014). "The Making of...Strider". Edge (271). Pg. 96-99., and eventually each one wrote their own script for it.Szczepaniak, John (January 10, 2016) "Interview with Roy Ozaki and Kouichi Yotsui". Hardcore Gaming 101 official YouTube page. Accessed May 23, 2016. Despite the initial intent for each team to take the fully-formed concept and adapt it to their respective media, Kurokawa and Wada wound up working closely together, writing an involved and developed setting that became the backstory for both the manga and the NES-developed game. Due to this proximity between both projects, it's hard to appreciate the game without having read the manga first, as it explains some important plotholes and shows which parts were created as filler for the game and which are actual storyboard points. While Yotsui was also approached, he turned it down and created his own version of the story, on the grounds he saw the three projects as a competition to see who could make the best product. Famicom Version The Japanese Famicom version was originally announced in June 1988"Strider Hiryu Japanese Magazine Scans". Famicom Tsûshin, June 1988 issue., when the manga was in the middle of its run. Initially reported for release the following October"Strider Hiryu Japanese Magazine Scans". Strider Hiryu Promotional ad., it was later changed to December instead"Strider Hiryu Japanese TV Advert". Retrieved from Archive.org. Accessed 21 Nov 2010."Strider Hiryu Japanese Magazine Scans". Marukatsu Famicom, October 1988 issue., following the release of the manga's tankôbon (collected edition). For unknown reasons, the game was further delayed to a 1989 release"Strider Hiryu Japanese Magazine Scans". Famicom Tsûshin, January 1989 issue. and eventually and silently cancelled for its Japanese release. A few promotional items were released before the game's cancellation, the most notable of which was Strider Hiryu: Original Music, a cassette released in 1988Kouji-S. "The Phantom 'Strider Hiryu' Theme Song" (Japanese). Retrieved from Archive.org. Accessed November 21, 2010. as a promotional giveaway to the readers of Monthly Comic Comp (where the manga was serialized) which included themes to be featured in the Famicom game, as well as vocal versions of the opening and ending themes. Alleged white cart prototypes of the Famicom Strider have showed up several times in Japanese auction sitesMike. "All Fingers Point To Zain Mind Control Weapon As Culprit For $3307 Unreleased Strider Famicom Prototype". nintendoplayer.com. Retrieved July 31, 2013, and one was eventually dumped online in April 2014. English Version The English version of Strider was first publicly announced during the January 1989 Winter CES convention held at Las VegasStaff (May 1989). "Short ProShots" (English). GamePro (01). Pg. 47, around 2 months before the release of the Arcade version, with later magazine previews claiming an April release dateStaff (May 1989). "Next Wave" (English). Electronic Gaming Monthly (01). Pg. 8, three months earlier than the game's final release in JulyNintendo. Complete Old Games List (Press Release). nintendo.com. Accessed from archive.org. Retrieved July 31, 2013. Based off the known Japanese prototype, the final released version appears to have received a general code cleanup to correct performance and graphic/palette bugs, as well as a number of edits to enemy sprites and locations, stage layout and item placement. Most notably change is seen in how they handle dialogue: The Famicom version shows text vertically at the side of the screen; whereas the English version transitions into a black screen to show its text. In spite of those corrections, however, the English version is still plagued by glitches and bugs, being well-known for poor programming and a rushed translation. Where it suffers the most is in the collision detection and control scheme. The collision detection makes avoiding enemy fire tricky, whereas the controls are stiff and sometimes unresponsive; certain actions (most memorably the Triangle Jump) are an arduous chore. It's translation is noticeable rushed and typos, oddly-phrased sentences, and mistranslations abound. Cutscenes are often hard to understand and leave the player at a loss. Other releases A LCD handheld by Tiger Electronics based on Strider was made and released in 1990. Strider wasn't ported to another console until 2006, when it was added as part of the compilation Capcom Classics Mini Mix for the Game Boy Advance. Years later the game appeared as one of 37 licensed NES titles from Capcom and Data East included in the Go Retro! Portable, a retro handheld console released in October 2018.Strauss, Paul (October 7, 2018). "Retro-Bit Go Retro! Handheld Packs 260 Games for $35" (English). technabob.com. Accessed October 10, 2018 References Category:Subpages Category:NES Strider Subpages